Uncertainty surrounding Darfur abductions

The international NGO, Medair, is struggling to establish who abducted and held four of its staff along with a government official in western Darfur, northern Sudan, almost two weeks ago. The five Sudanese were abducted after Medair lost contact with them on 11 November while they were distributing kits for displaced people around Silea and Kolbus, in western Darfur. The aid workers were handed over to safety on Saturday afternoon by a local rebel group, the Justice and Equality movement (JEM), to Chadian authorities and staff from Medecins Sans Frontieres in the border town of Tine. But how the abductees came into the hands of JEM, and who abducted them in the first place remains uncertain, Erik Volkmar Chief Executive Officer of Medair told IRIN. He said probably either a militia group or bandits in the area were responsible. "We're not quite sure at this time who this group was," he added. He said the four Medair workers were believed to be in "good condition" and were expected to arrive back in Geneina, western Darfur, on Tuesday. Medair staff were informed by JEM on 17 November that it was holding the aid workers. "They really protected them and tried to find the best way to release them," said Volkmar. "The JEM wanted to be sure that they would be safe and that there would be some kind of international presence on the ground before they handed them over." The rebel group claims to have "rescued" the workers from Arab militias and said it had not released them immediately in case they were kidnapped again. Volkmar said he was very impressed with the "regularity" of the JEM's behaviour, adding that the group appeared to be concerned about getting more humanitarian aid into the war-torn region. Hundreds of thousands of people have either been displaced, or fled to neighbouring Chad as a result of the insecurity. UN sources told IRIN that this month alone, tens of thousands of people had been displaced in the southern part of the region. Meanwhile, aid delivery in the area has come to a standstill because of insecurity and the lack of travel permits being given out by the Sudanese government on the grounds of the insecurity. A spokesman for the main rebel group in Darfur, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, told IRIN that a ceasefire agreement, renewed with the government on 4 November, had broken down completely. Attempts made by the Chadian authorities to bring the two sides together for peace talks had also failed, said spokesman Ahmad Abd al-Shafi.